Effect of concentrate feeding on milk yield and body-weight change of Awassi ewes and the growth of their lambs

The response of Awassi ewes to graded amounts of supplementary concentrate diet was examined for the first 12 weeks of lactation. The growth rate of lambs and their health status were also investigated. Seventy-five ewes were divided into three equal groups and given a basal roughage diet of shredded wheat straw at a rate of 750 g dry matter (DM) per ewe per day supplemented with a concentrate diet at three months, 950 g (low), 1150 g (medium) and 1350 g (high) of DM per ewe per day starting at the beginning of lactation. Ewes were adapted to the diet by feeding daily at a rate of 200g per ewe during the last 6 weeks of pregnancy. The concentrate was estimated to contain 11.8 MJ of metabolizable energy and 182 g of crude protein per kg DM. Ewes and their offspring were housed in a partly enclosed yard. Lambs remained with their dams continuously except for the days of milk yield measurements, when they were separated from the dam for 11 or 12 h. The ewes examined for subclinical mastitis and the incidence of scouring in lambs was recorded. Ewes given the high level of concentrate produced more (p 0.05) across treatments. The daily intake of concentrate by the ewes did not affect the incidence of scouring in lambs or mastitis in ewes. On both economical and biological grounds it is recommended to offer concentrate during the first 9 weeks of lactation at levels >950 g per ewe per day in order to produce an appreciable yield of milk and restore a positive energy balance early in the ewe lactation period.